The present invention belongs to a field of electric connectors, which are used to electrically connect two articles that are exemplified by a printed circuit board, an electrical part, etc.
Electric connectors for electrically connecting two articles include, for example, a pair of a male type crimp connector and a female type crimp connector to be coupled together, which are used extensively. The connecting form of them is, for example, that an electric wire led out of a first article is crimp-connected to a male type crimp connector, an electric wire led out of a second article is crimp-connected to a female type crimp connector, and the male type crimp connector and the female type crimp connector are coupled together to make an electrical connection.
As for the connecting structures using such electric connectors, it is keenly desired to reduce costs and to make the connectors themselves and related objects more compact.
The present inventors contemplated to reduce the number of electric connectors to be used in a connecting structure to one single electric connector by the following measures. When an electric wire is led out of the first article, a single electric connector is connected to the electric wire by crimping or insulation displacement connection, and is fitted onto the first article and/or the second article. Also, a contact of this electric connector is caused to directly contact a conductive part of the second article. This, in turn, is to reduce the costs of the connecting structure and to make it more compact. In that case, if the housing of the electric connector is provided with a groove of which one end is open, a contact is inserted into and fitted onto the groove, and the electric wire connected to the contact is led through the open end of the groove out of the housing, then the ability to fabricate the electric connector, and the workability of connecting the electric wire to the electric connector can be improved. With this arrangement, if the electric wire is subjected to a pulling and moving force and lifted from the groove, the electric wire or the wired contact may come off the housing. One objective of the present invention is to assemble a retainer onto the housing of such an electric connector so as effectively prevent the electric wire or the wired contact from coming off the housing.
To accomplish the above-mentioned objective, the present invention is an electric connector that is used to electrically connect an electric wire of a first article to a conductive part of a second article. This electric connector comprises a housing, which is fitted onto at least one of the articles and is provided with a receiving groove that is recessed into the front face which faces, when connected, toward the conductive part of the second article and that is open at one end in a side face of the housing, a contact, which is inserted into and fitted onto the receiving groove, and is provided with a connecting part to be connected to the electric wire of the first article by crimping or insulation displacement connection and a contacting part which is located closer than the connecting part to the closed end of the receiving groove and which is to contact the conductive part of the second article, and a retainer, which covers at least a portion of the receiving groove adjacent to the open end thereof and is fitted onto the housing.
The connecting part of the contact of this electric connector is connected by crimping to the electric wire of the first article, the contact is inserted into and fitted onto the receiving groove of the housing, and the retainer is fitted onto the housing. Or the contact is inserted into and fitted onto the receiving groove of the housing, then the connecting part of the contact is connected by insulation displacement connection to the electric wire of the first article, and the retainer is fitted onto the housing.
Next, when the housing is fitted onto the first article, and the two articles are arranged in a certain positional relationship and joined together, the contacting part of the contact will contact the conductive part of the second article with a pressing force, and the electric wire and the conductive part will be electrically connected via the contact. Or when the housing is fitted onto the second article, the contacting part of the contact will contact the conductive part of the second article with a pressing force, and the electric wire and the conductive part will be electrically connected together via the contact. Or when the housing is fitted onto both the first article and the second article, the contacting part of the contact will contact the conductive part of the second article with a pressing force, and the electric wire and the conductive part will be electrically connected together via the contact.
In any of the above-mentioned connecting forms, as the contacting part of the contact will contact the conductive part of the second article with a pressing force, a contact pressure at the contacting point will be secured to reliably make an electric connection of the two articles. In this connecting structure, as the number of electric connector to be used is one in contrast with the conventional connecting structure using a pair of a male crimp connector and a female crimp connector, the costs are lowered through the reduction in the number of electric connector in use. As the work of connecting the electric wire to the electric connector, for example, crimping or insulation displacement connection, can be done by a single operation, the costs are lowered through the improved workability. When the housing is fitted onto both the first article and the second article, as the two articles will be joined together via the electric connector, a separate joining means such as a screw is not needed to join the two articles together, and the costs are reduced through the elimination of any joining means. As a single electric connector is used in the connecting structure, the space occupied by the electric connector is reduced in comparison with the conventional connecting structure wherein a pair of a male crimp connector and a female crimp connector are used, and the connecting structure is compactified.
Even if the electric wire is subjected to a pulling and moving force and is bent to lift from the receiving groove, the electric wire will be held by the retainer. Hence the electric wire or the wired contact is prevented from coming off the housing.
Accordingly, the electric connector of the present invention ensures a contact pressure at the contacting point and makes a reliable electric connection between the articles, reduces the number of electric connector in use and improves the workability, and in turn, achieves significant cost reduction and compactification of the connecting structure. Even if the electric wire is subjected to a pulling and moving force and is bent towards the receiving groove, the electric wire will be held by the retainer. Thus the electric wire or the wired contact is reliably prevented from coming off the housing. When the housing is fitted onto both the first article and the second article, the costs can be reduced through elimination of a joining means.